


Back for Fall Break

by kindness_to_the_rejects



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Basically just dialogue, Brotherly Relationship, Brothers, College, Gen, Very small snippet, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 17:25:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14898848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kindness_to_the_rejects/pseuds/kindness_to_the_rejects
Summary: Zach runs into Clay & Justin at the store during his first visit home since starting college. They catch up.





	Back for Fall Break

Zach was wandering the aisles of Walmart, picking up last minute snacks and supplies for his little sister’s birthday party, when he heard a familiar voice come from the next aisle over. 

“Clay, just pick one and choose, we don’t have to buy three fucking bag of chips.”

Zach was already grinning when Clay replied, “I know, Justin, but Mom said she wanted this one specific type, and since you didn’t remember to bring the list – “

“Oh my god,” Justin was groaning, right as Zach turned the corner into their aisle and found his two friends in front of him, standing by the chip display. Justin wasn’t as scrawny as he had been at the end of the summer, when Zach had last seen him, and seemed to be working at gaining the freshman fifteen. Clay looked the same as ever, except that he had gotten a haircut which made him look slightly less like a helmet head. 

“Hey, guys!” Zach said, delighted. Clay and Justin turned to him, surprised, and then both of their faces split into matching grins. 

“Zach!” Justin shouted. He jumped at the taller man and tackled him in a hug. Zach moved his shopping basket from one arm to the other so he could hug back. Clay laughed and waited for Justin and Zach to separate before he moved in for a brief hug with Zach himself.

“Man, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!” Justin laughed, slapping him on the back. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d come back for fall break all the way from Washington!”

“Yeah, well, what can I say, I was getting homesick for all you guys here,” Zach joked. He gestured to the pink card and envelope in his hand. “Plus, my sister’s birthday is this weekend. I’m picking up some stuff before her party tonight.”

“Hey speaking of parties, we’re having everybody over to our house tomorrow night while we’re here for fall break,” Clay said. “You should totally come! Sorry I didn’t text you, I thought you’d still be at Gonzaga.”

Zach waved him off. “Nah, man, it’s cool. I actually, uh, already knew about it, and was going to show up to surprise you.” He huffed a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Alex texted me about it. I was about to totally pull off the surprise too, until I heard you here. I just had to say hi.”

Justin laughed and slapped him fondly on the arm with the back of his hand. “Seriously, don’t worry about it! Now we can see you twice! Man, it’s so good to see you and have everybody back in town – still being here while everyone’s gone is fucking weird, man.”

Zach cocked his head. “But you like San Fran State, don’t you?”

“Oh yeah, I actually like it a lot,” Justin said sincerely. “My classes are actually like, cooler than classes in high school, plus I kind of dig living at home and having a whole room to myself.” He jostled his shoulder playfully into Clay’s next to him, who rolled his eyes.

“But actually,” Justin said, smile broadening. “I’m thinking of transferring soon because I’m looking at going into like, social work and counseling and all that, and they don’t have a lot of that at SFSU.”

Zach’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, Justin, that’s awesome! Where are you going to go?”

Justin hesitated and shot Clay a sideways look, a smirk starting up on his face. Clay rolled his eyes. “Oh my god, just fucking tell him,” Clay said. Zach raised his eyebrows.

Justin turned back to Zach and drawled, “Well, probably to UC Berkley because they have a great program for it, but Clay thinks I’m doing it just so I can annoy the shit out of him and follow him around like a stalker.”

That startled a laugh out of Zach. “Oh my god, are you serious?” he asked. “You two are going to be at the same college? That’s some adorable brother shit right there.”

Justin grinned at him, unashamed, while Clay gave Zach a long-suffering look. “Trust me, it wasn’t intentional,” Clay said. “And we’re not going to be roommates or anything.”

“Well,” Justin said, shrugging, “Not at first anyway.”

Clay looked over at him, incredulous. “What are you even talking about? We almost kill each when we’re home and that’s when we have a whole house! You think we’d do well cooped up together in a tiny dorm room?”

Justin raised his hands up in a “maybe” gesture. “It’d be easier!” he said defensively. “I’m just saying, we already know each other’s habits and all that shit! And then we could just take one car to school and share!”

“Oh my god,” Clay said, looking pained. Zach just watched on, amused, until he heard an alert on his phone. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced down to see a text from his mom. She was telling him to hurry back with the snacks, because the party was going to start soon.

“Oh shit, you guys,” he said, shoving his phone back in his pocket. “I gotta head home for my sister’s party. But I’ll see you tomorrow night, yeah? 8:00, I think Alex said?”

Clay nodded. “Yeah, we’ll see you then. I hope your sister has a nice party.”

Zach smiled warmly. “Thanks man. She will if my mom has anything to say about it.” He had almost turned to go, but stopped to ask, “Oh hey, Clay, I didn’t even ask you – you liking UC Berkley?”

Clay nodded. “I love it. I can tell you more tomorrow night, I know you gotta go. But yeah, it’s awesome.”

“About to get even more awesome once I go there,” Justin said, smiling with his chin raised. 

Clay gave him a Look. “Yeah,” he said tersely. “Let’s just find these chips before I leave your ass here.”

Zach shook his head, incredulous. “Who would have thought I’d run into Clay Jensen and Justin Foley at Walmart. Or – actually, it’s Justin Foley-Jensen now, isn’t it? I saw you changed it on Instagram and Twitter.”

Justin nodded, his expression changing into something more serious and bashful. He shrugged with one shoulder. “Yeah you know, figured – new school, new name or whatever. Next step and all that shit.” 

Clay shot him an almost fond look before he got back to examining the chips. Zach smiled at both of them. 

“It's great to see you guys,” he said. “You seem like you’re both doing really well.”

“We are, now get outta here!” Justin said, waving him off. “I know enough about having an annoying sibling to know they’re probably gonna bitch if you’re late to their birthday party!”

Zach nodded and turned to go, waving over his shoulder as he did. As he walked down the aisle, he could hear Clay say behind him, “Well, you should be punctual to your own brother’s birthday! Jesus, you were an hour late!”

“I told you Clay, I didn’t know what to get you for a present! I didn’t know what kind of nerdy shit you wanted.”

“So after all that time of looking around, you still only showed up with a $10 Barnes and Noble gift card?”

“Yeah, and you never thanked me by the way. I worked hard on that gift card.”

The last thing Zach heard was a crinkly thwack, which he assumed meant Clay had hit Justin with a bag of chips. He shook his head. Some adorable brother shit right there.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know California or Washington colleges very well, so I quickly Googled and then made stuff up. Forgive me if you do know these universities, and you noticed some weird, wildly untrue statements. I think the show is set in a town near San Fran, hence why Justin is going to San Francisco State University. And finally, I just want these characters to be happy and for Justin and Clay to be the cutest of bros.


End file.
